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Mr Smith said at the time on Wednesday afternoon: “She fell and I couldn’t do anything to help her. The ground is uneven in places, and this needs looking at. She is in a lot of pain and has been lying on the cold ground for a couple of hours. We have been told she is not a priority. I know it isn’t the ambulance staff’s fault but the way the service is, it’s not on.”

Norman Mansell, coach driver for Hunt’s Coaches in Alford, heard a woman had fallen while in the town and ran to her aid.

He said: “I called the ambulance service 13 times to see where the ambulance was. She was freezing cold so I went to the police station to get her a thermal blanket. Even the police called the ambulance. We could not move her as I think she may have broken her collarbone. Her leg was also very swollen. It’s disgusting that she was left for so long. She’s 84 and has recently had a hip replacement. This woman should have been made a priority.

Dorothy Smith, 84, laid on the ground

“The staff and B&M have been great - they provided cushions and blankets for Dorothy. One staff member also stood behind her with a cushion to support her so she didn’t roll backwards.

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A doctor from the hospital and community health staff gathered around Dorothy and stayed with her until the ambulance arrived, around three hours after the first 999 call was made.

East Midlands Ambulance Service has apologised to Mrs Smith.

Brian Jaffery, ambulance operations manager, said: “It is important that we provide the right response at the right time for our patients, unfortunately this can sometimes mean delaying help to a non-emergency patient to save the life of another.

“At the time of Dorothy’s call we were holding 77 emergency 999 calls that required an ambulance response.

“Every 999 call is assessed based on the information we are given and while we aim to get to all patients as quickly as possible, those experiencing a life-threatening emergency such as cardiac arrest or breathing difficulties have to be seen first.

“We prioritise all our patients based on their medical need. In this case, the patient has suffered non-life threatening injuries.

“We are sorry for the distress that this has caused to Dorothy. To enable us to investigate this fully for the patient, we would welcome our Patient Experience team speaking to Dorothy and her husband about the incident.”